Olympedia – Artistic Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 gymnastics events were held at the venerable Montréal Forum, the long-time home of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. The program in 1976 was the standard one, which began in this form in 1960, with individual and team all-around for both men and women, with women competing in four apparatus finals and men in six.

The Soviet Union and Japan completely dominated the men’s events, winning 19 of the 26 medals, and 7 of 8 gold medals. Similarly, the Soviet Union and Romania dominated the women’s competition, winning 15 of 18 medals, and all 6 gold medals.

The 1976 Olympics continued the revolution in women’s gymnastics which had begun in 1972 with the appearance of Soviet Olga Korbut. Prior to 1972 women’s gymnasts were usually in the early 20s and performed pretty routines on the apparatus, but in the early 1970s female teenagers starting performing very acrobatic and dangerous routines. When Romania’s Nadia Comăneci pushed the envelope even farther at the 1976 Olympics, women’s gymnastics would become a sport for very young teenage females.